The present invention relates generally to radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, and, more particularly, to a method and system for protecting RFID tags on purchased goods.
The use of radio frequency identification (RFID) devices in the retail industry has started to become wide spread as retailers have realized the potential of these small and inexpensive devices. An RFID tag, which can be placed onto a product offered for sale, can permit the retailer to automatically track movement of the product, perform automatic check-out of the customer (including instant debiting of the customer's account), automatic inventory control, locating misplaced product, and so forth. The use of such RFID devices can also provide the retailers with information regarding the customers themselves, such as their purchasing habits, their movement patterns through the retail store, and so on.
RFID devices that are implanted onto products (commonly referred to as RFID tags) are typically powerless radios (although in some applications, the RFID tags can have an external power source, such as a battery for example) with a small amount of memory and perhaps a controller or a processor. The RFID tags receive power only when they are energized by RF signals from a RFID reader. In this type of device, a rectifier coupled to an antenna in the RFID tag converts energy in the RF signals into electrical energy to power the RFID tag. Once powered, the RFID tag can respond to probes from the RFID reader and thereafter provide information stored in its memory or execute instructions provided by the RFID reader.